Iain Wright, the committee’s chairman, said: “In our Sports Direct inquiry we exposed shocking examples of poor working practices, of agency workers paid less than the minimum wage and exploited through dubious voluntary schemes, such as pre-paid debit cards and deductions from pay for insurance services.

“In recent months we’ve seen growing evidence of agency workers and those working in the gig economy being exposed to poor working conditions. This growing trend raises questions over employment status and lack of worker rights.”

From drivers delivering packages to online shoppers to app-driven services such as Uber and Deliveroo, the gig economy, which has transformed delivery services, relies on large networks of self-employed contractors. Their status means they are not entitled to earn the “national living wage” or receive benefits such as sickness and holiday pay.

The committee said it would seek to establish the status and rights of agency and casual workers and the self-employed for the purposes of tax, benefits and employment law and how to protect them. Other subjects include treatment of and possible limits on the use of agency workers; which rights should apply to permanent and non-permanent staff; the use of zero-hours contracts; and enforcement of the “national living wage”.

Wright said: “The nature of work is undoubtedly changing. It will change further with growing use of technology and a spreading of automation across the economy.

“This might provide flexibility and choice for some people, but unleash insecurity and squeezed working conditions for others. With these economic and technological changes shaking up the world of work, it’s vitally important that workers are protected.”

In the latest in a series on the UK’s increasingly precarious world of work, we reveal how many institutions are charging higher student fees while more than half of lecturers are on non-permanent or hourly-paid contracts